


Look Beyond the Earth

by blcwriter



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Imported, Inspired by Poetry, Kink Meme, LiveJournal, M/M, Schmoop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-23
Updated: 2014-02-23
Packaged: 2018-01-13 11:02:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1223863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blcwriter/pseuds/blcwriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For a prompt by my darling emiliglia at the buckleup meme.</p><p><a id="cutid1" name="cutid1"></a>For <a href="http://buckleup-meme.livejournal.com/5309.html?thread=66237#t66237">this prompt</a> at the <span class="ljuser i-ljuser"></span><a class="i-ljuser-profile" href="http://buckleup-meme.livejournal.com/profile"><img class="i-ljuser-userhead"/></a><a class="i-ljuser-username" href="http://buckleup-meme.livejournal.com/"></a><b>buckleup_meme</b> , the poem at the beginning of Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Friendship."  Set schmoop factors to 11.</p>
    </blockquote>





	Look Beyond the Earth

**Author's Note:**

  * For [emiliglia](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=emiliglia).



> For a prompt by my darling emiliglia at the buckleup meme.
> 
> For [this prompt](http://buckleup-meme.livejournal.com/5309.html?thread=66237#t66237) at the [](http://buckleup-meme.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://buckleup-meme.livejournal.com/)**buckleup_meme**  , the poem at the beginning of Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Friendship."  Set schmoop factors to 11.

__A ruddy drop of manly blood  
The surging sea outweighs,  
The world uncertain comes and goes,  
The lover rooted stays.  
I fancied he was fled,  
And, after many a year,  
Glowed unexhausted kindliness  
Like daily sunrise there.  
My careful heart was free again, —  
O friend, my bosom said,  
Through thee alone the sky is arched,  
Through thee the rose is red,  
All things through thee take nobler form,  
And look beyond the earth,  
And is the mill-round of our fate  
A sun-path in thy worth.  
Me too thy nobleness has taught  
To master my despair;  
The fountains of my hidden life  
Are through thy friendship fair.  
\- Ralph Waldo Emerson  


\----  
 

Look Beyond the Earth

  
Their friends were all there, faces well-weathered with time, and Jim-- well, he looked as gorgeous as ever, even if his hair was more silver than the brown not-blond that it was when they'd met. But he'd kept active, angels and ministers of grace knew they both had, couldn't help it with the lives that they'd led, even after they'd taken "dirtside" positions, and he was as whip-trim and fit in his dress-golds as he'd been at their wedding. 

Pike, who'd presided the first time, presided again, and as they'd agreed, they reversed their recitation of vows, since Jim had gone first the last time and this time-- Leonard wanted his say.

He wasn't a public speaker, not like Jim was. Sure, he could deliver a lecture, teach a class, harangue a subordinate, captain a ship in a crisis though thank goodness that hadn't come up in a while, but the fact still remained-- he'd worked hard at memorizing his piece. So he recited the poem, then said what he had to say.

"I've been married to you for twenty-five years, and you've put more grey hairs on this head than even Joanna." In the front row, his doctor daughter and Sulu's CMO smiled. "I'm not the poetic sort, not like you with your antique books cluttering up all our quarters, nor am I romantic, and God knows you put up with all my complaining-- and you've scared the life out of me more times than I want to remember-- you probably will as many times again into the future."

Across from him, Jim visibly swallowed.

Leonard licked his lips and went on. "But there's no doubt in my mind-- never has been, never was, never will-- that I love you more than all the things that scare me to death, all the things that made me feel so tired and broken that first day that I met you and had no idea you'd be not just my partner, my Captain, my husband, but most important of all, the best friend I'd ever know, that one person who'd _get it_ and know what it meant to not want to get out of bed every day and then do it anyway because it had to be done."

The room behind them had fallen silent and still, and the only noise Leonard could hear was the sound of his own heart pounding loud in his ears.

"Because you were my friend, James T. Kirk, I could look beyond myself, beyond the Earth, beyond all the things that scared the shit out of me, and do the things I'd signed up to do. You make me a better man every day that I know you, and even if we'd never been more than friends, that would be true to this day."

Jim's eyes were glittering madly-- Leonard knew if he said anything more mushy, Jim would start crying in front of all of these people, not that Jim would actually care. He'd just accuse Bones of playing dirty by quoting his favorite writer-- so Leonard concluded, even if it was somewhat abrupt.

"Suffice it to say, though, I'm glad that we're not, because then I couldn't kiss the hell out of you whenever I wanted."

Pike snorted, Jim barked a laugh, and the room erupted in whistles and cheers as Leonard tugged Jim in for a kiss that was far more than friendly, Jim's arms wrapping around him and rooting them both as securely as always he had.

\---

  
_"I'm pretty sure these things are safe," said the man sitting next to him in the shuttle, nothing but assurance warm in his startling blue eyes. Leonard somehow felt rooted for the first time in ages-- foolish thought, really, but the assurance was a gesture of friendship, so he remembered his manners and made one right back. He pulled out his flask and offered it over._

"Name's McCoy. Leonard McCoy."

The blond-ish, bruised, blue-eyed man took the flask with a hint of a smile. Over his shoulder, through the shuttle window behind him, Leonard could see the faint curve of Earth, fading away. He turned his eyes back to the man now holding his flask, desperate to focus on something besides the fact that they were fucking airborne, in space.

"Jim Kirk," he said with a smile, took a companionable sip, not too long, not too deep, then handed the flask back to Leonard.

For the first time in a while, Leonard felt the stirrings of friendship. He wondered where they would lead.


End file.
